Pubdate: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Blair Qualey Note: Blair Qualey is President and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of BC. You can email him at POT OR NOT, IMPAIRED DRIVING IS JUST WRONG Marijuana Breathalyzer Now On The Horizon Marijuana is a hot topic in British Columbia and across North America these days, especially since the Canadian government recently changed the rules on who can produce and distribute the controversial plant and some U. S. states have decriminalized it. Whether you're a pot user, or agree with the rules around how it's bought and sold, there are implications for pot use on driving activity. Marijuana use can affect driving ability. Using it can impair your judgment, co-ordination and concentration behind the wheel, and slow your reaction time. That can lead to accidents, which are a threat to everyone on the road. The effects of marijuana are important to note for all users, including those who take it to treat major illnesses. Pot users should heed the same warnings that come with the purchase of a number of prescription and over-the-counter medications, which include not operating heavy machinery, which for most means motorized vehicles. While studies have shown that driving drunk is more dangerous than driving stoned, any type of impaired driving is dangerous. I hope and expect that most people would agree that if you drive drunk or stoned that you have a greater risk of being injured, or injuring someone else. Unfortunately, police don't have the same technology and resources to detect people driving stoned, as they do now for those driving drunk. However, the times appear to be changing as marijuana becomes more accepted in society. For instance, I wasn't surprised to hear recently that a B. C. technology company called Cannabix Breathalyzer is developing what it believes will be the first commercial pot breathalyzer. The hand-held device, developed by a former RCMP officer, promises to be able detect whether a driver has used marijuana within two to three hours of getting behind the wheel. This is key since it's that time frame when pot has its strongest effect on a user, according to the Canadian Public Health Association ( CPHA). The CPHA says a driver who is high reacts slower to sudden events, such as a car slamming on the brakes in front of them, and can have a reduced or "drifting" attention span, which means they're not concentrating enough on driving. Pot use also can cause a driver to focus too much on one thing, such as the tail lights in front of them, and not enough on the cyclist beside them. The drug also can change a driver's sense of time and distance, "making it harder to judge distances while driving," the CPHA notes. Whether you're against marijuana use or a strong proponent, I think both camps can agree that getting high and then getting behind the wheel is a bad idea. We all want to feel safe driving along our province's roads and highways. Be smart and stay safe. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D